CBT smartphone app to help prevent postpartum depression
Official title: A novel app-based cognitive behavioral therapy intervention for preventing postpartum depression
Funded at Women and Infants Hospital-Rhode Island · NIH-11163404 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project provides a smartphone app that delivers group-based cognitive behavioral therapy to help prevent postpartum depression in new mothers, especially those facing barriers to in-person care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Women and Infants Hospital-Rhode Island NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Providence, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2021 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $179,305 |
| NIH project number | 5K23HD103961-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11163404 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Pregnant or recently postpartum women, particularly those with limited access to in-person care (for example, low-income women and women of color), are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People currently needing urgent psychiatric care, those with moderate-to-severe untreated depression, or those without a smartphone or who prefer in-person therapy may not benefit from this app-based approach.
What this research studies
You would use a smartphone app that delivers the Mothers and Babies cognitive behavioral therapy program in a group-style format, with lessons, activities, and remote support. The study recruits pregnant and postpartum women, with attention to low-income women and women of color who face access barriers. Researchers will follow participants for months after birth to track mood symptoms, app use, and attendance at postpartum visits. The aim is to expand access to effective mental health support beyond the limited window of traditional postpartum care.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the app could lower rates of postpartum depression and make mental health care more accessible after childbirth.
How similar studies have gone: In-person Mothers and Babies CBT has cut postpartum depression by about half in low-income women of color, but delivering the program via a smartphone group app is newer and not yet proven.
Where this research is happening
-
Women and Infants Hospital-Rhode Island
Providence, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lewkowitz, Adam Korrick — Women and Infants Hospital-Rhode Island
- Study coordinator: Lewkowitz, Adam Korrick
Related research
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-
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ROSE Scale-Up: Expanding universal postpartum depression prevention for new mothers
A national effort to roll out the ROSE prevention program to all new mothers, to see if universal use can reduce postpartum depression.
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How Medicaid Postpartum Coverage and PPD Screening Could Improve Diabetes and Blood Pressure Care After Birth
A large NIH grant is studying how extending Medicaid after birth and mandating postpartum depression screening affect care for women with gestational diabetes and pregnancy-related high blood pressure.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.